For example, it found that in June to July 2007, when rainfall was close to double the average for the time of year across most of the UK and when tens of thousands of homes and businesses were flooded, retail sales remained resilient.

Similarly, during a prolonged period of heavy rain leading to widespread flooding in November 2012, retail sales increased – and in fact decreased in October and December.

Still out and about: Heavy rain does not necessarily deter people from shopping, the ONS findings suggest

Cold weather didn’t have a
consistent impact on sales either, it found. January 2010 contained the
largest change in retail sales in a single month – a decrease of 3.5
per cent. But while this coincided with very low temperatures and
widespread snow, these were also present in December, when temperatures
were 2.1 degrees centigrade below average and retail sales fell by just
0.3 per cent.

The ONS concluded that a VAT increase in January is likely to have contributed significantly to the decrease.

We also shop in the sun: Shoppers on Oxford Street enjoy the summer sales

Hot weather also didn’t particularly
draw shoppers to the high street or drive them away either, it found.
June to September 2006 saw temperatures at least 1.9 degrees above
average – but retail sales didn’t change. Then in July last year
temperatures were up again – 2.1 degrees above average – and retail
sales did increase substantially. In both hot spells there was a similar
pattern of sales increasing in food stores and decreasing in non-food
stores.

‘If
it’s pouring with rain you’re unlikely to go shopping for DIY or
clothes – but you might shop for electricals,’ she said. ‘The weather is
likely to impact footfall in individual categories.’

John Stevenson, equity research analyst at Peel Hunt, said that if you look at trends over the long term, perhaps peaks and troughs level out, but day to day weather has a massive impact on sales.

Come rain come shine... come snow: We may not buy barbeques when it's cold, but there's always something shoppers are after

‘There is a tendency with management of retailers to blame the weather – so it’s become a bit of a cliché. But it does have a big impact,’ he said. He agreed that the impact would differ by category. ‘A heatwave will have a direct impact on footfall. You’ll want to be having barbeques and enjoying the weather – the last thing people will want to do is buy house purchases like furniture.’

He added that with squeezed incomes, people shop for need, which has meant that with the mild weather over autumn and winter 2013, shoppers have not been buying outwear like coats because there’s no need. This in turn has forced retailers to discount heavily, eating away at margins.